


save room for my love (save a little)

by potatwoo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Johnny Jaehyun and Mark get high as a kite at one point, Lots of flirting bc why not, M/M, Next Door Neighbor au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23626591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potatwoo/pseuds/potatwoo
Summary: “I can’t believe the love of my life, the man of my dreams, has finally been found after twenty-five years and a number of failed relationships in this world,” Johnny sarcastically said and dreamily sighed, simply entertaining Ten’s statement. “Should I ask him to move in with me right now or is that too desperate?"Ten laughed.“Do it right now - I dare you."orThe first thing that Johnny learns about his new neighbor is that the guy has a fantastic taste in music. The next thing that Johnny learns about his neighbor is that the guy might actually be the love of his life.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 16
Kudos: 207





	save room for my love (save a little)

When Johnny’s neighbors moved out of their apartment, he knew that the now-vacant living space would be occupied by a new tenant in no time. The apartment was on the tenth floor of a complex somewhere downtown - located high enough to present a breathtaking view of the city from the tall living room windows but not high enough to make anyone living there feel out of touch with the civilization down below.

It took less than two weeks before someone new took over the apartment next door, and Johnny only knew that because the almost deafening silence in the tenth floor during the past couple of weeks was suddenly interrupted one day by the sounds of foot traffic, chatter, and the movement of various boxes and furniture out in the hallway.

But what really piqued Johnny’s interest was the music that his new neighbor blasted through their speakers while moving in that day, which Johnny was able to hear as muffled sounds from his living room. His new neighbor had an almost (if not absolutely) perfect taste in music, making it easy for Johnny to get past the noise level and just nod along to whatever was currently playing as he got some work done on his laptop.

“Can I just say that your new neighbor is really hot.”

“What?”

“I said what I said.”

Johnny looked at Ten in confusion as the latter closed the front door with Japanese takeout on hand and walked over to where Johnny was sitting by the breakfast bar. The two of them were taking a break from updating Ten’s dance portfolio, which Johnny decided to help with through photoshoots in exchange for free dinner from his best friend.

“And how do you know that?” Johnny asked as they began to unpack the multiple containers of food on the counter.

“I got in and got out of the elevator at the same time as him,” Ten replied. “Now granted there were actually two of them there, but both of them are really handsome so it doesn't matter which one is your neighbor and which one is your neighbor’s friend.”

“Interesting…”

“So is your new neighbor high-end Jack Frost or baritone Prince Charming?”

“I actually haven’t met him yet,” Johnny replied, splitting up his wooden chopsticks, and Ten looked at him as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard. “The most interaction I’ve had with him has been hearing him play music or practice an instrument which, as you can tell, is no interaction at all.”

“Well, honey, you’ve got a big storm coming then,” Ten said, taking the exact piece of sushi that Johnny was eyeing. “Nothing else can get you swooning and sighing other than an attractive, musically-inclined guy who seems to be in touch with his right brain.”

“I can’t believe the love of my life, the man of my dreams, has finally been found after twenty-five years and a number of failed relationships in this world,” Johnny sarcastically said and dreamily sighed, simply entertaining Ten’s statement. “Should I ask him to move in with me right now or is that too desperate?”

Ten laughed.

“Do it right now - I dare you.”

When Johnny found a package that he wasn’t expecting waiting for him on his doorstep, he was a bit confused until he spotted the apartment unit on the shipping address and an unfamiliar name as the addressee. With a 180 degree change in attitude, Johnny realized that this was the excuse that he was waiting for to finally meet his mystery neighbor and see what Ten’s hype was all about.

Swiftly picking up the package, Johnny walked over to the door just a few steps down the hallway and pressed on the doorbell. The sound of a puppy’s barking immediately filled the air, and Johnny softly smiled in amusement when he heard who he presumed was his neighbor ask, “Ollie, did you invite one of your puppy friends over without telling me?”

Johnny then heard some footsteps getting closer and closer to the door and, before he knew it, he was face-to-face with arguably one of the most beautiful people he’s ever had the privilege of laying his eyes upon.

Johnny didn't believe in love at first sight, but he did believe that this moment was damn near it.

“Hey there,” his neighbor said with a friendly smile on his face. Johnny was quick to notice that the guy had dimples, which was the cherry on top to his already striking features. “May I help you?”

_This must be baritone Prince Charming._

“Hey,” Johnny greeted in return, giving himself a pat on the back for being able to keep his cool despite the inner turmoil. “I’m Johnny. I live next door to you, and I think your package accidentally got delivered to my place.”

Lifting the package to make his point, Johnny chuckled softly when his neighbor’s smile turned into a small 'O’ from the realization.

“Oh shoot, thank you and sorry about that,” the neighbor said as Johnny passed the box over to him. “I would've shit myself if this got lost since it's a brand new camera. I’m Jaehyun, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Jaehyun,” Johnny replied, returning the friendly handshake that Jaehyun extended. He then remembered the last thing that Jaehyun said and curiously asked, “Are you into photography?”

“Yeah, but I’m still pretty new to it,” Jaehyun replied. “I wanted to pick up a new hobby and figured that photography would be fun since I’m new to the area and have a lot of exploring to do.”

“That’s exciting!” Johnny said, silently thanking the heavens for presenting another excuse to talk with Jaehyun even more. “I actually do photography for a living, so if you have any questions or want to learn some tips or tricks, let me know. All I’ll charge you is friendship, but even that’s optional.”

Jaehyun laughed.

“Sounds like a good deal to me,” he replied. A contemplative look briefly spread across his face before he spoke up once again. “Would you like to come in and talk for a bit longer? So I could, you know, start paying off that friendship debt.”

Johnny laughed, trying to ignore the way that his heart fluttered at the way Jaehyun bounced off his joke. Being single for a while really got him feeling some type of way towards the most bare minimum things.

With a smile, and some silent regret because he didn’t give himself some time to change out of his workout clothes before visiting Jaehyun, Johnny replied, “I’d love to.”

_[13:25] Ten  
wyd i’m bored_

_[13:27] Johnny  
i’m at jaehyun’s place falling in love i think_

_[13:31] Ten  
who’s jaehyun lmao_

_[13:36] Johnny  
does baritone prince charming ring a bell_

_[13:37] Ten  
OH WORD??????  
say less  
enjoy urselves!!  
i want 10 god-children!!  
xoxoxo _

The ultimate perk of being neighbors with Jaehyun was that Johnny and he could easily make plans to hangout with each other without needing to arrange a meeting days or even weeks in advance. They both had busy schedules due to work and other commitments, but it was easy for them to see each other during the weird gaps of the day when they had too little time to go out but ample time to be in each other’s company.

In the midst of their sporadic and impromptu hangouts, whether it be at his place or Jaehyun’s, Johnny naturally got to learn more about Jaehyun. Among other things, Johnny learned that Jaehyun recently started working as a songwriter for a popular entertainment company, which was why he moved downtown in the first place ( _“It’s nothing much.” “Dude, no, what the fuck? You’re making big moves.” “Okay, maybe I am making big moves.” “There you go. That’s the spirit.”_ ). Johnny also learned that Jaehyun enjoys working out mostly because he loves eating and trying new food places and had to balance that source of happiness with a consistent workout, which Johnny felt in his soul.

Most of the time they’ve spent together have involved sharing music, finding things to take pictures of, drinking more coffee than what’s probably deemed healthy, watching movies or documentaries, and/or simply lounging around on someone’s couch. While the activities were far from extravagant, they were still incredibly fun and meaningful for Johnny. 

And needless to say, Johnny really did find himself falling for Jaehyun’s charms with each passing day. 

When Johnny’s younger brother Mark spent the weekend at his place before heading back to their parents’ home for spring break, Johnny didn’t think he’d be spending an evening getting high as a kite with not only his brother but Jaehyun as well. One minute Johnny was introducing Mark to Jaehyun and Jaehyun to Mark, and the next minute the three of them were making a trip to the nearest dispensary out of pure boredom.

The three of them were currently sitting around Johnny’s coffee table, which was decorated with nearly-devoured bags of family-sized chips, convenience store nachos, dinosaur chicken nuggets, and cans of soda on top of the coffee table. A movie that they chose to watch earlier had been playing on the TV, but it didn’t take long for them to stop paying attention to the film in exchange for conversations about anything that came to mind.

“I’m just saying, there’s really nothing that can prove that everything that happened in the past right up to this very moment actually happened and that it wasn’t just a microchip of false memories planted in our brains.”

“So did you actually say what you just said right now, or is that just included in the microchip?”

“Exactly! There’s no telling! Better yet, who knows if we’re actually real people right now because I don’t!”

“All I know is that you’re hurting my brain, Mark.”

“Am I hurting your brain, or is the microchip malfunctioning, Johnny-hyung?”

Jaehyun simply laughed at Mark and Johnny’s exchange and continued eating out of the bag of barbecue flavored Lays, and Johnny respected that. Mark was clearly on the chattier side whenever he got high while Jaehyun seemed to be the type to take in his surroundings and indulge in munchies more than anything else. 

Johnny felt like he was the in-between of Mark and Jaehyun, which was why he was both able to entertain Mark’s billionth existential thought that evening and still be very much aware of Jaehyun’s whole existence even if the latter wasn’t doing anything. And Johnny didn’t know how this was even possible, but there were definitely moments when Jaehyun’s beauty felt louder to him than Mark’s rambling.

However, when Jaehyun suddenly scooted close enough to casually rest his head on Johnny’s shoulder out of fucking nowhere, the loudest sound in the room for Johnny became his intensely beating heart. And if his back weren’t pressed against the sofa at that moment, he would have probably fallen flat on the floor from surprise.

After recovering from the sudden burst of physical touch, Johnny decided to play it cool and wrap his arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder, which only made Jaehyun snuggle up just a bit closer to him as he continued to munch on his chips. And if Jaehyun was more blasted than Johnny and Mark combined, he was pretty good at hiding it.

Mark, who was sitting across the coffee table from them, glanced back and forth between Johnny and Jaehyun as if he were trying to figure something out. But before he could pinpoint whatever it was, he got sidetracked by a sudden notification on his cellphone.

Once his brother looked away, Johnny let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and couldn’t help but wonder what Jaehyun was thinking at that very moment.

After Jaehyun left Johnny’s apartment half an hour later ( _“I gotta go because I want to shower my dog with all the love in the world.”_ ), Johnny decided that it was a good time to call it a night because Mark already peaked with his wild theories about the universe and seemed like he was well on his way to sobering up. Johnny had Mark wash up and get ready for bed before him while he cleaned up the mess on the coffee table, and soon enough the two of them were laying side-by-side on Johnny’s bed.

“G’night, dude,” Johnny said, placing his cell phone down on the nightstand after checking up on Jaehyun and turning off the lampshade. 

“Good night,” Mark replied as Johnny turned his back to the younger boy.

Johnny thought that those words were their final exchange for the night, which he would’ve been perfectly fine with, until Mark’s voice filled the dark room once again after about a minute. 

“Hyung, it just hit me.”

“What are you talking about?” Johnny asked, his eyebrows scrunched in a ‘what the fuck?’ way as if Mark could actually see his face.

“You have a crush on Jaehyun-hyung, huh?”

Mark’s cheeky tone annoyed Johnny, so instead of giving his younger brother the satisfaction of being able to tease him if he tried to steer the conversation or deny the feelings, Johnny simply replied, “Okay and?”

“Wait, it’s not fun if you just agree to my question like that,” Mark said, and Johnny chuckled at how the younger was borderline whining. “You’re supposed to be like _No, I don’t_ and I’m supposed to be like _Yeah, you do._ ”

“That’s the point,” Johnny replied. “Go to sleep.”

“Fine, fine,” Mark said with a defeated sigh. “Good night again.”

Another moment of silence passed before Johnny decided to speak up this time around, knowing exactly how to give his brother a taste of his own medicine.

“So when did your best friend Lucas turn into _Baby_ with a cute little heart emoji on his caller ID?”

“I SAID GOOD NIGHT!”

“Thanks for keeping me company at Ikea today.”

“It’s no big deal - I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t get lost in there and never come out.” 

Jaehyun laughed at Johnny’s lighthearted reply before taking a scoop of his ice cream. 

The two of them spent the morning looking for a shelf that could nicely store Jaehyun’s ever-growing collection of vinyl records, which very much ended with a successful purchase and an impromptu iPhone-quality photoshoot at the furniture store. And after dropping off the shelf at Jaehyun’s apartment, they decided to try out a popular ice cream shop that was just a few blocks down from their complex.

“How’s your ice cream?” Johnny curiously asked.

“I’ve decided that I would actually die for it,” Jaehyun replied. “It’s so good.”

While Johnny decided to go for a classic scoop of praline, Jaehyun decided to spice things up for himself and get a scoop of the shop’s limited edition, breakfast-inspired ice cream.

Johnny was still skeptical about an ice cream flavor that combined the taste of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, and his feelings were probably clearly reflected through his facial expression because soon Jaehyun was laughing.

“Try it,” Jaehyun insisted, scooping up some of his ice cream and reaching across the table to bring his spoon close to Johnny’s mouth. “If you don’t like it, I’ll pay for your ice cream the next time we come here.”

“Can you say that again? I forgot to turn on my voice recorder so I could get your words on tape,” Johnny jokingly said and chuckled when Jaehyun actually played along and repeated himself.

Johnny then opened his mouth and let Jaehyun feed him, which was an innocent gesture that definitely made Johnny’s heart race yet again. And when Johnny finally got a taste of the infamous ice cream flavor, he couldn’t help but start laughing in disbelief.

“I’m mad because you’re right,” Johnny said after swallowing the cold dessert. “Why is it actually so good?”

“I told you so!”

“Jaehyun?”

Both Johnny and Jaehyun looked to where the sudden voice came from only to see someone making their way to their booth. While Johnny had no clue who the silver-haired person was, Jaehyun seemed to be absolutely fond of said person because a pleasantly surprised expression soon dawned on his face.

“Taeyong, hey!” Jaehyun greeted the guy as he stood up to hug said person, and Johnny noticed the way he included a tight squeeze. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just craving something sweet and decided that pricey but tasty ice cream would hit the spot,” the Taeyong guy replied, pulling away from the hug and instead moving on to hold Jaehyun’s hand as they continued to speak. 

Johnny didn’t hear anything that they were talking about because his attention immediately got fixated on the hand-holding. Jaehyun did not look fazed by the gesture at all, which only made Johnny’s thoughts go on overdrive. But before he could really start to wonder what the relationship between Jaehyun and Taeyong was, Jaehyun suddenly said his name.

“Oh, by the way, this is Johnny,” Jaehyun said. “Johnny, this is Taeyong.”

“Nice to meet you, Johnny,” Taeyong greeted, offering a handshake that Johnny returned. “I’m so sorry for interrupting the two of you earlier. I just got really excited when I saw Jaehyun.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Johnny replied with a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Johnny’s actually my neighbor,” Jaehyun said, and Taeyong’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, _you’re_ his neighbor?” Taeyong replied, and Johnny nodded despite not knowing what to make of that kind of reaction. “That’s really cool - Jaehyun seems to admire you quite a bit.”

“Really now?” Johnny teasingly asked, momentarily forgetting his earlier dilemma as he took note of how red Jaehyun’s ears have gotten.

_Cute._

“Stop feeding his ego, Taeyong,” Jaehyun lightheartedly said, and Taeyong shrugged.

“Then stop talking to me about him,” Taeyong replied, unfazed, and Johnny felt his cheeks warm up at the thought of Jaehyun bringing him up while he was gone.

“Well! I’ll leave you two alone now,” Taeyong then said. “Bye Johnny, hope to see you around sometime.”

“Likewise,” Johnny replied.

“As for you,” Taeyong turned to Jaehyun, “let’s get food soon because I miss you.”

“I’ll call you later so we can plan something,” Jaehyun said before sharing another hug with Taeyong.

Taeyong then went on to plant a kiss on Jaehyun’s cheek before completely pulling away and bidding his final goodbye, and Johnny once again started to feel part stunned and part disheartened at the extremely affectionate sight.

After a couple days of texting Ten like a broken record about his dilemma at hand, a.k.a. not knowing whether Jaehyun has been in a relationship this whole time and therefore not realizing that his feelings weren’t going to go anywhere, Johnny mustered enough courage to simply ask Jaehyun about Taeyong. He figured that the sooner he asked Jaehyun, the sooner he could (potentially) get sad about the response and move on with his life.

The two of them were currently lounging around on Jaehyun’s living room floor, having just finished building the shelf that Jaehyun bought the other day and organizing his records in alphabetical order. Ollie the golden retriever puppy was the life of the party at the moment, running around with his toys and dividing his attention between Jaehyun and Johnny.

“Ollie seems to really love you,” Jaehyun chuckled when the puppy tackled Johnny the moment he switched up his criss-cross position and laid down on the floor.

Johnny absolutely did not mind the way the puppy decided his torso was the perfect resting place and laughed when Ollie began to lick his face.

“What can I say? I’m a lovable guy,” Johnny lightheartedly replied, petting the tiny pup, before adding, “Isn’t that right, Ollie?”

“The only other guest he’s never shied away from is Taeyong,” Jaehyun said, and Johnny felt his own smile falter just a tiny bit at the mention of Taeyong.

Keeping his eyes on the dog, Johnny tried to sound as casual as possible when he said, “You and Taeyong seem really close.”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun agreed, reaching over to scratch Ollie’s fur and accidentally brushing hands with Johnny. “We met while interning at the same company a few years ago and learned that we actually had a lot of mutual friends. So many that it almost wouldn’t make sense if we’d never met.”

Johnny nodded at Jaehyun’s response and silently reminded himself that feeling even the slightest bit jealous would be petty on his part. Deciding that it was now or never, Johnny proceeded to ask the million-dollar question.

“Just out of curiosity, are you two--”

“Dating?” Jaehyun completed the sentence as if it weren’t his first time being asked that question.

Johnny looked up at Jaehyun, caught off-guard by the way the other read his mind, and Jaehyun simply looked back down at him with a small knowing smile.

“...Yes?” Johnny replied, feeling a sense of uncertainty all of a sudden. At the same time, Ollie decided it was time for him to get off of Johnny’s chest, and the puppy’s sudden movement caused Johnny to let out a slightly pained grunt.

“We’re not dating,” Jaehyun answered, chuckling when Johnny raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Taeyong’s just really affectionate with me because I’m his junior.”

“Have you two ever considered dating, though?” Johnny asked, very much relieved at Jaehyun’s response but also still really curious about Taeyong and Jaehyun’s friendship.

“The most we’ve ever considered dating was when we shared a New Year’s kiss last year then immediately agreed that the kiss was weird and that we would never do that again,” Jaehyun replied, and Johnny laughed.

“And, for the record,” Jaehyun continued, “Taeyong’s not really my type.”

“What’s your type then?” Johnny asked, wondering if he was digging his own grave by asking Jaehyun to elaborate.

“Hm…” Jaehyun thought out loud. “How would you describe yourself?”

“Well, I would say I’m--”

A pause.

Immediately sitting up, Johnny looked straight at Jaehyun when he realized what his neighbor was implying by asking that question.

“Do you-- Are you-- Am I--” Johnny didn’t know what the fuck he was trying to say because he was still very much trying to wrap his head around the revelation. So instead of saying a complete sentence, he dumbly asked, “Me?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun coolly replied, though the way his cheeks began to blossom into a soft shade of pink hinted that he wasn’t fully confident in admitting his attraction. Moreover, the confidence that he _did_ have seemed to decline with each passing second that Johnny didn’t reply, because soon he tried to fill the silence.

“Wait, I’m sorry if I just made things weird between us,” he said. “I just thought--” 

“Oh no, it’s not that,” Johnny immediately cut Jaehyun off, not wanting Jaehyun to continue feeling anywhere close to bad or apologetic. “I’m just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” 

Now having fully processed everything and having gotten past his initial shock, Johnny felt stupidly giddy.

“Thinking about how you have such a terrible taste in guys,” he jokingly answered, and he didn’t miss the way Jaehyun let out the breath he was holding before a toothy grin formed on his lips. 

“I really do,” Jaehyun just as jokingly replied, and Johnny laughed. “I think I’m just settling at this point.”

“Oh, you are,” Johnny lightheartedly confirmed. “But it’s okay because I’m also settling for you. “

“Woe is us I guess,” Jaehyun said in faux-sadness before the two of them bursted out laughing at the ridiculousness of their exchange.

“Hyung, if I kidnap Ollie and take him back with me to my dorm, do you think Jaehyun-hyung will notice?”

“He will, Mark. He will.”

“Ughhh,” Mark childishly whined before he reluctantly released the puppy from his embrace and let the puppy run free to wherever his heart desired. In this case, it turned out to be across the full-sized bed and into Johnny’s arms.

“Oh, hi there, you cutie,” Johnny greeted the puppy with the same tone parents would use around their baby. “Was Mark-hyung being weird again? Yes? I’m so sorry about that. Let me tell Lucas to pick him up right now so you don't have to see him for the rest of the weekend.”

Johnny laughed when Mark’s cheeks immediately flushed pink at the mention of his boyfriend.

“Will you ever stop bringing up my relationship?” Mark asked. 

“No because what kind of older brother would I be if I stopped teasing you for getting into your very first relationship?”

“A nice brother?”

“That’s no fun.”

Johnny chuckled as Mark gave up in trying to counter whatever he was saying and instead turned his attention back to the puppy on Johnny’s lap.

“How long will Jaehyun-hyung be out of town?” Mark asked later on as he gently pet the top of Ollie’s head as the puppy started to doze off.

“A week,” Johnny replied, watching the interaction going on before him. “Unless his team finishes their project early, which he doubts will happen because they have--he says and I quote--‘A whole lot of shit to do.’”

Johnny’s phone then began to ring from where it was tucked in the pocket of his sweatpants. He briefly wondered who would be calling him so late in the evening, but his mood immediately brightened when he realized that Jaehyun was trying to video call. 

“Hey dude,” Johnny greeted as soon as he accepted the call. 

“Hi, hyung!” Mark eagerly chimed in as well, scooting close to Johnny and squeezing himself into the video’s frame much to Johnny’s half-joking judgement.

Jaehyun laughed at the sight and greeted the two brothers.

“Hey guys,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Mark here was just about to leave my room to watch TV or grab a late night snack,” Johnny said, clearly making up a lie so that he could talk with Jaehyun in private. “Isn’t that right, Mark?”

“No,” Mark replied, “but because _I’m_ a nice brother, I’ll leave anyway.”

“Thanks, you’ve earned yourself one less Lucas joke,” Johnny said, which made Mark roll his eyes and elicited a soft chuckle from Jaehyun, who recently learned about the newfound relationship. 

When Mark was out of the room, Johnny adjusted himself into a more comfortable position on his bed and took in Jaehyun’s appearance. The latter seemed to be laying in bed at his hotel room and looked like he was about to go to bed. It wasn’t fair, Johnny thought, how Jaehyun could still look so handsome without even trying.

“How’s work?” Johnny asked, and Jaehyun shook his head.

“Next topic, please,” he said, and Johnny chuckled. “I’m checked out for the day. Where’s Ollie?”

Johnny sat up and called for the puppy, who was enjoying his own company at the foot of the bed but did not hesitate to run up to Johnny the moment his name was called. Scooping up the tiny golden retriever with his free arm, Johnny moved the camera so that the dog could be in focus.

“Hello, my love,” Jaehyun greeted with his own parent-talking-to-baby voice. “Are you having fun at Uncle Johnny’s place?”

“Yes, I am,” Johnny voiced over with an octave higher than his normal pitch, and Jaehyun laughed at the way Johnny also waved the puppy’s paw. “I think I’m going to move in with him for good.”

“Whatever,” Jaehyun replied, and Johnny chuckled as he let the puppy run free before laying back down on the bed.

As the two of them went on to talk about how the past couple of days have been for them and what they’ve been doing during their respective downtimes, Johnny couldn’t help but think about how it was a bit of a bummer that Jaehyun had to go out of town shortly after they learned about each other’s feelings. 

Ever since they admitted that they were attracted to one another, neither Johnny nor Jaehyun shied away from the thrills of flirting and showing more affection. They started spending more and more time together only to suddenly have to be without each other for a whole week, which really wasn’t much in retrospect but felt like a much longer time frame for two people who have added a new layer to their relationship.

So when Jaehyun threw in a soft _I miss you_ after they exchanged their goodbyes and good nights for the evening, Johnny longed for nothing more than to be able to give Jaehyun the biggest, warmest hug in the world.

“I miss you, too.”

_[21:52] Ten  
just say you’re blue-balling over him and call it a day_

_[21:53] Johnny  
TEN PLEASE_

_[21:55] Ten  
;)_

When Jaehyun finally came home from his business trip, Johnny decided to stop by his apartment with some fried chicken and beer as a way of welcoming him back. They talked about anything and everything as they ate, not really limiting their conversation topics to whatever happened over the course of the past week, and there were many moments when Johnny almost forgot to actually contribute to the conversations because he was too busy admiring Jaehyun.

Jaehyun, whose eyes immediately lit up whenever he talked about music and who always showed genuine interest in hearing what others had to say. Jaehyun, who had a ridiculously great sense of fashion and knew how to work with what he got. Jaehyun, who was equal part confident in his abilities and equal part too modest about his accomplishments. 

Jaehyun, who was easily the most beautiful person in every sense of the word.

“I could feel you sneaking glances at me again.”

“And once again, I’m not sorry.”

Jaehyun laughed at Johnny’s reply before casually lifting a hand to lace his fingers with the hand that Johnny rested over his shoulder. 

After finishing their late-night meal, Johnny and Jaehyun decided to watch a movie on TV, which ultimately led to them being cuddled up on the couch as they paid attention to the film. Johnny enjoyed how comfortable they were at the moment and was proud of how they were long past the stage where they felt pressured to keep talking over silence.

“I hope you’re having fun looking at the top of my head, then.”

“It’d be more fun if I were looking at your face.”

When Jaehyun turned his head to look up at him with a faux look of judgment, Johnny cheekily smiled.

“Yup, definitely more fun,” Johnny confirmed only to burst out laughing and try to shield himself when Jaehyun started tickling him as a form of retaliation. However, as ticklish as Johnny was, Jaehyun’s retaliation couldn’t stop him from adding, “I get it, Jaehyun, I’m so charming that you can’t keep your hands off of me!”

“God, you’re so annoying!” Jaehyun complained, though his laughter suggested that there was no true malice in his words.

“Then shut me up,” Johnny challenged only to be completely caught off guard and dumbfounded when he suddenly felt Jaehyun’s lips on his. But just as he processed what was going on and began to reciprocate the kiss, Jaehyun pulled away.

Now it was Jaehyun’s turn to flash a cheeky smile as he asked, “Do I need to shut you up some more?”

“Uh,” Johnny was dazed, much to Jaehyun’s amusement. “Yes.”

“That was…”

“Yeah…”

Johnny and Jaehyun laughed breathily at their inability to form coherent sentences as they slowly but surely cooled down from their high. They were currently laying in Jaehyun’s bed, their clothes long-neglected somewhere on the floor and their worn out bodies pressed together in an all too sweaty hug that neither of them had enough energy to pull away from just yet.

“If this is what happens when you want to shut me up, then I hope you know I’m never going to stop talking,” Johnny lightheartedly said.

In between the lazy trail of kisses that Jaehyun began to leave across Johnny’s bruising neck, Jaehyun replied, “And I’m perfectly fine with that.”

Johnny chuckled before gently lifting Jaehyun’s face by the chin so that he could start kissing him on the lips for the nth time that night, which Jaehyun gladly welcomed.

“Are you free tomorrow?” Johnny asked a bit later, and Jaehyun nodded.

“What's up?” Jaehyun asked, looking at Johnny with curious eyes. It took Johnny all of his willpower to not completely disregard answering his question and just lean in for another kiss.

“Can I take you out on a date?” Johnny replied, feeling silly for suddenly getting the slightest bit nervous saying those words out loud considering their current situation.

“Yeah,” Jaehyun smiled, and Johnny felt his heart race a mile a minute at the immediate answer. “Do you have some plans in mind already?”

“I was thinking we could go museum-hopping then have dinner at this one rooftop restaurant I’ve been wanting to take you to,” Johnny answered. “They have really good food and, more importantly, an open bar during happy hour.”

“Oh, say less,” Jaehyun lightheartedly replied, and Johnny chuckled. “Can I just give you a short disclaimer, though?”

“What is it?” Johnny asked, confused by the sudden question.

“I don't have sex on the first date.”

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, with Johnny giving a faux _Are you serious?_ look while Jaehyun was on the brink of laughing at his own joke given that they literally hooked up just moments ago and had no intention of making it their last time to do so.

“Because clearly you have sex before the first date even happens,” Johnny jokingly replied, sending Jaehyun into a fit of giggles before the latter planted a kiss on his lips.

“You’re the exception.”

One date turned into another date, and soon enough going on dates became a bi-weekly norm for Johnny and Jaehyun. While the two of them still spent most of their time together just meeting up without any plan set in stone, their dates had a little more effort put into them. Whether it was getting dressed a little fancier than usual for a night out, putting up scented candles and setting the mood for a night in, having a detailed itinerary for the day, or something else, a date always left them with a little bit more butterflies to the stomach than usual.

Johnny eventually got around to introducing Jaehyun to Ten, which was a meeting that Johnny wanted to stall for as long as possible because he knew that Ten was more than ready to spill embarrassing stories of him left and right. Jaehyun vaguely remembered Ten as the guy he saw in the elevator the day he moved in, who he also thought was going to be his new neighbor ( _“Instead you got a loser named Johnny.” “A pity, I know.” “I’m right here.” “Your point?”_ ). And like the true Valentine’s Day baby he was, Jaehyun came up with the brilliant idea of playing cupid and introducing Ten to Taeyong, who turned out to be high-end Jack Frost, after realizing how similar the two guys were.

Jaehyun also turned into another older brother figure in Mark’s life, sharing the same joy as Johnny in teasing Mark about Lucas but also becoming someone who Mark could easily seek advice from for topics he’d rather not talk about with Johnny, who respected that boundary. And to Johnny and Jaehyun’s surprise, Mark took the initiative in suggesting a double-date as a way of formally introducing everyone to each other. That double-date resulted in Johnny revealing his overprotective older brother side that neither Mark nor Jaehyun knew existed as he asked Lucas a million and one questions until he was convinced that Lucas really did have good intentions with Mark ( _“I didn’t think you had that side in you.” “Me neither - I can’t believe my little twerp of a brother has that effect on me.” “It’s almost like you love him or something.” “Me? Loving Mark? Gross.” “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”_ ).

Though love was definitely reflected in their actions, Johnny was the first one to say “I love you” after Jaehyun made a surprise visit at his biggest photo exhibition to date with the whole shebang of a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates ( _“That I totally will not eat when you get back to your apartment tonight.”_ ). From that day forward, those three words were exchanged generously yet just as genuinely every single time.

Johnny loved being in love with Jaehyun, whose presence made even the most mundane things in life so exciting to experience, and he was glad that Jaehyun felt the same way.

With Jaehyun spending more and more nights at Johnny’s apartment (and Ollie doing the same as a result), the little corner of his belongings in Johnny’s room kept growing until Johnny finally suggested that Jaehyun just move in with him as soon as his apartment lease expired, which Jaehyun was quick to get on board with.

“We can save on rent AND sleep with each other every night.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard anything more romantic than that.”

“I just realized something.”

In his half-asleep state with eyes still closed, Johnny rolled over on the bed to face Jaehyun and groggily asked, “What did you just realize?”

It was probably a little bit past midnight at that time, and Johnny was exhausted from the busy day they had moving Jaehyun’s stuff out of his apartment and finally getting him settled into Johnny’s place. 

“We don’t have an anniversary.”

“Yeah, we do,” Johnny sleepily mumbled. “It’s…”

When he couldn’t think of a date, Johnny found himself wide awake as he repeated Jaehyun’s words and said, “We don’t have an anniversary.”

“We’ve really gone this long without making our relationship official,” Jaehyun said, looking at Johnny before the two of them laughed softly at the sudden revelation. “When did we start being grossly lovey-dovey?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s been almost a year,” Johnny replied.

“A whole year,” Jaehyun repeated, incredulous, and Johnny chuckled. “We’ve never made our relationship official yet we’re already living with each other.”

“Jaehyun.”

“What?”

“Will you _officially_ become my boyfriend as of this very moment?”

Jaehyun looked at Johnny, who only smiled in return, before shrugging.

“Yeah, sure, why not,” he casually replied before the two of them laughed it off once more and scooted in for a warm embrace.

At the end of the day, it really didn’t matter to them when they got together as long as they both knew they were in it for the long run.

“I love you.” 

“I love you, too.”

_[23:42] Ten  
look, i love being your new neighbor  
i really do  
but can you two PLEASE for the love of god turn down the volume  
and i’m not talking about the volume on your speakers!!_

**Author's Note:**

> it's been a hot minute since i've actually written a whole fic from beginning to end lol. i hope you enjoyed reading this (longer than expected) story and share as much love for johnjae as i do!! :') 
> 
> \+ the title was inspired by john legend's "save room" and was sort of a play on the whole johnjae-as-neighbors au hehe.


End file.
